Apprenticeships Are Trending In The USA- And Competing With Colleges

In fact, according to Jon Marcus of NPR, the demand for apprenticeships is outstripping supply of available slots. By their very definition apprentices are paid for the work they do, while they learn. Generally,  this is paid on the job training combined with time in a classroom.

Their growth coincides with growing  disbelief , and disillusionment, in 4-year college as the path to financial success and a quality life. Per Jon Marcus, a Pew Research Center study  finds only 1 out 4 adults now say that college that college is extremely or very important in getting a good job. Further a study by the EMC Group found that nearly 66% of teens  14  to 18 say their ideal education would be learning a skill on the job as an apprentice.

So why is the supply of available apprentices slow to catch up when demand is apparent? Simply put employers don’t want to  budget for them. They don’t want to pay for apprentices even though there’s more than just a  long-term benefit. From the very beginning those in positions as apprentices ARE DOING work – work that employers would otherwise have pay someone to do.

Apprentices do cost money because they don’t know everything yet.  And, they do have to have mentors to learn from and train them. “But on the other hand, they are doing work employers would have to pay someone else to do anyway. So, if employers do it right, they can quickly recoup a lot of what they invest,” says  Robert Lerman a former professor of Economics at American University. And,  I’d like to spotlight that though not well-promoted, and difficult to uncover there is a hodge-podge of  grant resources that can help employers cover the cost of  setting up apprenticeship training programs, and possibly help with actually paying for the apprentices’ apprenticeship education.

Let’s be clear, employers remain hesitant and lag in jumpstarting these programs. A major factor that SHOULD be getting employers out the starting gate is the fact that an apprenticeship can guarantee a pool of employees trained in the  exact skills an employer needs. There’d be less of a learning curve than someone coming into the job straight out of college without apprenticeship education and on the job training.

In an earlier post on my blog focusing on the robust apprenticeship system in Germany points out that even college bound teens benefit from participating in an apprenticeship program. In Germany teens as early as 10^th grade can declare a preference for an apprenticeship path or an academic university path. 

Those  selecting apprenticeship actually begin in the 10^th  with on-the job training and classroom trade specific education, including a set number of days each week working in their trade. And, those selecting the university path are also required to have a minimal, much reduced, limited term in an apprenticeship program. This gives them the benefit of real-world skills in professional social interaction, problem-solving, time-management, collaboration, etc. It was also found that those declaring apprenticeship as their career path were financially independent much sooner than those on the academic path.

According to The Washington Post “American needs 3 million apprentices. We’re not even close.” And, NewsNation poses the question, “American need skilled workers, are apprenticeships the answer?” And, goes on to say ”Apprenticeships could be crucial to addressing shortages of  plumbers, electricians and other skilled workers.  I will add EV charging station installation and maintenance technicians and computer chip making.

The encouraging and surprisingly news is that supporting and growing apprenticeships in the USA is one of the few areas of bipartisan support.  Most of apprenticeships’ current growth was funded by early investments by the Obama administration. And albeit different in their approaches this investment has continued in both the Trump and Biden administrations.

According to the US Dept. of Labor there are 680,288 American apprenticeships. This is an 89% increase from 2014, But according to NPR’s Jon Marcus less than one-half of 1% of the U.S. labor force. And, compares to 18 million Americans attending college.

We have a long way to go. College ads, flyers and PSA are everywhere.  And  hype,  promotion and message around going to college  gets the spotlight from teacher, counselors and administrators for school age children(of all ages)  and their parents. It is time some of that spotlight is shared with apprenticeships.

If you are an educator, a philanthropist, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or  running a small entrepreneurship you need to do your research, get proactive and  take real action. You definitely have a role to play.